Anarteq

Anarteq, a young man who hunted reindeer with his sisters, drowned after his kayak overturned during a hunt. Transformed into a salmon, he lived in the sea for years. When his grieving father returned to their hunting grounds, Anarteq, still a salmon, reunited with him by gripping his paddle. Pulled from the water, he regained his human form and resumed providing for his family.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Anarteq’s metamorphosis into a salmon after drowning highlights themes of change and adaptation.

Underworld Journey: His experience beneath the water’s surface parallels a journey into an unknown realm, akin to an underworld adventure.

Rebirth: Anarteq’s return to human form signifies renewal and the cyclical nature of life.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There was once an old man, and he had only one son, and that son was called Anarteq. But he had many daughters. They were very fond of going out reindeer hunting to the eastward of their own place, in a fjord. And when they came right into the base of the fjord, Anarteq would let his sisters go up the hillside to drive the reindeer, and when they drove them so, those beasts came out into a big lake, where Anarteq could row out in his kayak and kill them all. Thus in a few days they had their umiak filled with meat, and could go home again.

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One day when they were out reindeer hunting, as was their custom, and the reindeer had swum out, and Anarteq was striking them down, he saw a calf, and he caught hold of it by the tail and began to play with it. But suddenly the reindeer heaved up its body above the surface of the water, and kicked at the kayak so that it turned over. He tried to get up, but could not, because the kayak was full of water. And at last he crawled out of it.

The women looked at him from the shore, but they could not get out to help him, and at last they heard him say: “Now the salmon are beginning to eat my belly.”

And very slowly he went to the bottom.

Now when Anarteq woke again to his senses, he had become a salmon.

But his father was obliged to go back alone, and from that time, having no son, he must go out hunting as if he had been a young man. And he never again rowed up to those reindeer grounds where they had hunted before.

And now that Anarteq had thus become a salmon, he went with the others, in the spring, when the rivers break up, out into the sea to grow fat.

But his father, greatly wishing to go once more to their old hunting grounds, went there again as chief of a party, after many years had passed. His daughters rowed for him. And when they came in near to the base of the fjord, he thought of his son, and began to weep. But his son, coming up from the sea with the other salmon, saw the umiak, and his father in it, weeping. Then he swam to it, and caught hold of the paddle with which his father steered. His father was greatly frightened at this, and drew his paddle out of the water, and said: “Anarteq had nearly pulled the paddle from my hand that time.”

And for a long while he did not venture to put his paddle in the water again. When he did so at last, he saw that all his daughters were weeping. And a second time Anarteq swam quickly up to the umiak. Again the father tried to draw in his paddle when the son took hold of it, but this time he could not move it. But then at last he drew it quite slowly to the surface, in such a way that he drew his son up with it.

And then Anarteq became a man again, and hunted for many years to feed his kin.

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Tungujuluk and Saunikoq

Tungujuluk and Saunikoq, rival wizards from the same village, could transform into a walrus and a bear, respectively. Saunikoq’s jealousy over Tungujuluk teaching his son kayaking led to a failed attempt to harm the boy in bear form. Tungujuluk later outwitted Saunikoq by turning into a walrus, tricking him during a hunt, and exposing his deeds at a feast. Humiliated, Saunikoq fled and was never seen again.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Both protagonists possess the ability to metamorphose into animals—Tungujuluk into a walrus and Saunikoq into a bear—highlighting themes of physical change and the fluidity between human and animal forms.

Cunning and Deception: The narrative showcases acts of trickery, particularly when Tungujuluk, disguised as a walrus, deceives Saunikoq during a hunt, turning the latter’s schemes against him.

Revenge and Justice: Saunikoq’s jealousy leads him to attempt harm against Tungujuluk’s son, but ultimately, Tungujuluk’s clever retaliation exposes Saunikoq’s malicious intent, resulting in Saunikoq’s humiliation and exile, serving as a form of poetic justice.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Tungujuluk and Saunikoq were men from one village. And both were wizards. When they heard a spirit calling, one would change into a bear, and the other into a walrus.

Tungujuluk had a son, but Saunikoq had no children.

As soon as his son was old enough, Tungujuluk taught him to paddle a kayak. At this the other, Saunikoq, grew jealous, and began planning evil.

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One morning when he awoke, he went out hunting seal as usual. He had been out some time, when he went up to an island, and called for his bearskin. When it came, he got into it, and moved off towards Tungujuluk’s house. He landed a little way off, and then stole up to kill Tungujuluk’s son. And when he came near, he saw him playing with the other children. But he did not know that his father had already come home, and was sitting busily at work on the kayak he was making for his son. He was just about to go up to them, when the boy went weeping home to his father, and when his father looked round, there was a big bear already close to them. He took a knife and ran towards it, and was just about to stab that bear, when it began to laugh. And then suddenly Tungujuluk remembered that his neighbour Saunikoq was able to take the shape of a bear. And he was now so angry that he had nearly stabbed him in spite of all, and it was a hard matter for him to hold back his knife.

But he did not forget that happening. He waited until a long time had passed, and at last, many days later, when he awoke in the morning, he went out in his kayak. On the way he came to an island. And going up on to that island, he called his other shape to him. When it came, he crawled into it, and became a walrus. And when he had thus become a walrus, he went to that place where it was the custom for kayaks to hunt seal. And when he came near, he looked round, and sighted Saunikoq, who lay there waiting for seal.

Now he rose to the surface quite near him, and when Saunikoq saw him, he came over that way. And Saunikoq lifted his harpoon to throw it, and the stroke could not fail. Therefore he made himself small, and crept over to one side of the skin. And when he was struck, he floundered about a little, but not too violently, lest he should break the line. Then he swam away under water with the bladder float, and folded it up under his arm, and took out the air from it, and swam in towards land, and swam and swam until he came to the land near by where his kayak was lying. Then he went to it, and having taken out the point of the harpoon, he went out hunting.

He struck a black seal, and rowed home at once. And when he had come home, he said to his wife: “Make haste and cook the breast piece.”

And when that breast piece was cooked, and the other kayaks had come home, he made a meat feast, and Saunikoq, thinking nothing of any matter, came in with the others. When he came in, Tungujuluk made no sign of knowing anything, but went and took out the bladder and line from his kayak. And then all sat down to eat together. And they ate and were satisfied. And then each man began telling of his day’s hunting.

At last Saunikoq said: “Today, when I struck a walrus, I did not think at all that it should cause me to lose my bladder float. Where that came up again is a thing we do not know. That bladder float of mine was lost.”

And when Saunikoq had said this, Tungujuluk took that bladder and line and laid them beside the meat dish, and said: “Whose can this bladder be, now, I wonder? Aha, at last I have paid you for the time when you came in the shape of a bear, and mocked us.”

And when these words were said, the many who sat there laughed greatly. But Saunikoq got up and went away. And then next morning very early, he set out and rowed northward in his umiak. And since then he has not been seen. So great a shame did he feel.

Puagssuaq

A wifeless man spent his days hunting ptarmigan until he discovered an old couple in a hidden valley. Intrigued, he entered their dwelling unnoticed and observed the wife preparing to consult spirits. As the passage began to close, he narrowly escaped and ran home, fearing pursuit. Reaching safety, he recounted his eerie experience. The tale concludes without further incident.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The protagonist encounters an old couple with mystical abilities, including the wife’s preparation to consult spirits, indicating interactions with supernatural elements.

Forbidden Knowledge: The man’s curiosity leads him to secretly observe the couple’s ritual, exposing him to hidden or restricted practices that he was not meant to witness.

Illusion vs. Reality: The protagonist initially mistakes the couple’s dwelling for a stone, and the closing passageway adds to the uncertainty, blurring the line between what is real and what is perceived.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There was once a wifeless man who always went out hunting ptarmigan. It became his custom always to go out hunting ptarmigan every day. And when he was out one day, hunting ptarmigan as was his custom, he came to a place whence he could see out over a rocky valley. And it looked a good place to go. And he went there. But before he had come to the bottom of the valley, he caught sight of something that looked like a stone. And when he could see quite clearly that it was not a stone at all, he went up to it. He walked and walked, and came to it at last.

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Then he looked in, and saw an old couple sitting alone in there. And when he had seen this, he crawled very silently in through the passage way. And having come inside, he looked first a long time at them, and then he gave a little whistle. But nothing happened when he did so, and therefore he whistled a second time. And this time they heard the whistle, and the man nudged his wife and said: “You, Puagssuaq, you can talk with the spirits. Take counsel with them now.”

When he had said this, the wifeless man whistled again. And at this whistling, the man looked at his wife again and said earnestly: “Listen! It sounds as if that might be the voice of a shore-dweller; one who catches miserable fish.”

And now the wifeless man saw that the old one’s wife was letting down her hair. And this was because she was now about to ask counsel of the spirits.

And he was now about to look at them again, when he saw that the passage way about him was beginning to close up. And it was already nearly closed up. But then it opened again of itself. Then the wifeless man thought only of coming out again from that place, and when the passage way again opened, he slipped out. And then he began running as fast as he could.

For a long time he ran on, with the thought that some one would surely come after him. But at last he came up the hillside, without having been pursued at all.

And when he came home, he told what had happened.

Here ends this story.

Atarssuaq

Atarssuaq’s son, trained as a skilled swimmer by his father, outwits and defeats his father’s killers. Wearing a seal-skin suit, he lures enemies from the north into open waters, then onto an iceberg, where he uses its ice to eliminate many. Pursuing survivors, he overturns their kayaks and drowns them, sparing only one man to deliver a warning. From then on, his enemies never return.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Transformation: The son undergoes a significant transformation from a child into a skilled swimmer and strategist, capable of avenging his father’s death.

Revenge and Justice: The narrative focuses on the son’s quest to avenge his father’s murder, delivering justice to those responsible.

Guardian Figures: Atarssuaq serves as a mentor and protector, imparting essential skills to his son that prepare him for future challenges.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Atarssuaq had many enemies. But his many enemies tried in vain to hurt him, and they could not kill him. Then it happened that his wife bore him a son. Atarssuaq came back from his hunting one day, and found that he had a son.

Then he took that son of his and bore him down to the water and threw him in. And waited until he began to kick out violently, and then took him up again. And so he did with him every day for long after, while the child was growing. And thus the boy became a very clever swimmer.

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And one day Atarssuaq caught a fjord seal, and took off the skin all in one piece, and dried it like a bladder, and made his son put it on when he went swimming.

One day he felt a wish to see how clever the boy had become. And said to him therefore: “Go out now and swim, and I will follow after you.”

And the father brought down his kayak and set it in the water, and his son watched him. And then he said: “Now you swim out.” And he made his father follow him out to sea, while he swam more and more under water. As soon as he came to the surface, his father rowed to where he was, but every time he took his throwing stick to cast a small harpoon, he disappeared.

And when his father thought they had done this long enough, he said: “Now swim back to land, but keep under water as much as you can.”

The son dived down, but it was a long time before he came up again. And now his father was greatly afraid. But at last the boy came up, a long way off. And then he rowed up to where he was, and laid one hand on his head, and said: “Clever diver, clever diver, dear little clever one.” And then he sniffed.

And a second time he said to him: “Now swim under water a very long way this time.”

So he dived down, and his father rowed forward all the time, to come to the place where he should rise, and feeling already afraid. His face moved as if he were beginning to cry, and he said: “If only the sharks have not found him!” And he had just begun to cry when his son came up again. And then they went in to land, and the boy did not dive any more that day. So clever had he now become.

And one day his father did not come back from his hunting. This was because of his enemies, who had killed him. Evening came, and next morning there was a kayak from the north. When it came in to the shore, the boy went down and said: “Tomorrow the many brothers will come to kill you all.”

And the kayak turned at once and went back without coming on shore. Night passed and morning came. And in the morning when the boy awoke, he went to look out, and again, and many times. Once when he came out he saw many kayaks appearing from the northward. Then he went in and said to his mother: “Now many kayaks are coming, to kill us all.”

“Then put on your swimming dress,” said his mother.

And he did so, and went down to the shore, and did not stop until he was quite close to the water. When the kayaks then saw him, they all rowed towards him, and said: “He has fallen into the water.”

When they came to the place where he had fallen in, they all began looking about for him, and while they were doing this, he came up just in front of the bone shoeing on the nose of one of the kayaks which lay quite away from the rest. When they spied him, each tried to outdo the others, and cried: “Here he is!”

But then he dived down again. And this he continued to do. And in this manner he led all those kayaks out to the open sea, and when they had come a great way out, they sighted an iceberg which had run aground. When Atarssuaq’s son came to this, he climbed up, by sticking his hands into the ice. And up above were two large pieces. And when he came close to the iceberg, he heard those in the kayaks saying among themselves: “We can cut steps in the ice, and climb up to him.”

And they began cutting steps in the iceberg, and at last the ice pick of the foremost came up over the edge. But now the boy took one of the great pieces of ice and threw it down upon them as they crawled up, so that it sent them all down again as it fell. And again he heard them say: “It would be very foolish not to kill him. Let us climb up, and try to reach him this time.”

And then they began crawling up one after another. But now the boy began as before, shifting the great piece of ice. And he waited until the head of the foremost one came up, and then he let it fall. And this time he also killed all those who had climbed on to the iceberg, after he had so lured them on to follow him.

But the others now turned back, and said: “He will kill us all if we do not go.”

And now the boy jumped down from the iceberg and swam to the kayaks and began tugging at their paddles, so that they turned over. But the men righted themselves again with their throwing sticks. And at last he was forced to hold them down himself under water till they drowned. And soon there were left no more of all those many kayaks, save only one. And when he looked closer, he saw that the man had no weapon but a stick for killing fish. And he rowed weeping in towards land, that man with no weapon but a stick. Then the boy pulled the paddle away from him, and he cried very much at that. Then he began paddling with his hands. But the boy gripped his hands from below, and then the man began crying furiously, and dared no longer put his hands in the water at all. And weeping very greatly he said: “It is ill for me that ever I came out on this errand, for it is plain that I am to be killed.”

The boy looked at him a little. And then said: “You I will not kill. You may go home again.” And he gave him back his paddle, and said to him as he was rowing away: “Tell those of your place never to come out again thinking to kill us. For if they do not one of them will return alive.”

Then Atarssuaq’s son went home. And for some time he waited, thinking that more enemies might come. But none ever came against them after that time.

Angangujuk

This tale recounts the story of Angangujuk, a child who mysteriously vanishes while playing outside. His mother, fearing her husband’s wrath, admits her loss, prompting him to summon spirit finders. The child’s location is revealed as being held by inland folk, leading the father to rescue him after using magic to lull his captors to sleep. The family flees to safety, abandoning the mainland forever.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The tale involves the father using magic and encountering inland folk, indicating interactions with supernatural elements.

Family Dynamics: The narrative centers on the parents’ desperate efforts to find and rescue their missing child, highlighting familial bonds and responsibilities.

Conflict with Authority: The father’s confrontation with the inland folk who took his child reflects a challenge against those who have wrongfully asserted control over his family.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

It is said that Angangujuk’s father was very strong. They had no other neighbours, but lived there three of them all alone. One day when the mother was going to scrape meat from a skin, she let the child play at kayak outside in the passage, near the entrance. And now and again she called to him: “Angangujuk!” And the child would answer from outside.

And once she called in this way, and called again, for there came no answer. And when no answer came again, she left the skin she was scraping, and began to search about.

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But she could not find the child. And now she began to feel greatly afraid, dreading her husband’s return. And while she stood there feeling great fear of her husband, he came out from behind a rock, dragging a seal behind him.

Then he came forward and said: “Where is our little son?”

“He vanished away from me this morning, after you had gone, when he was playing kayak-man out in the passage.”

And when she had said this, her husband answered: “It is you, wicked old hag, who have killed him. And now I will kill you.”

To this his wife answered: “Do not kill me yet, but wait a little, and first seek out one who can ask counsel of the spirits.”

And now the husband began eagerly to search for such a one. He came home bringing wizards with him, and bade them try what they could do, and when they could not find the child, he let them go without giving them so much as a bite of meat.

And seeing that none of them could help him, he now sought for a very clever finder of hidden things, and meeting such a one at last, he took him home. Then he fastened a stick to his face, and made him lie down on the bedplace on his back.

And now he worked away with him until the spirit came. And when this had happened, the spirit finder declared: “It would seem that spirits have here found a difficult task. He is up in a place between two great cliffs, and two old inland folk are looking after him.”

Then they stopped calling spirits, and wandered away towards the east. They walked and walked, and at last they sighted a lot of houses. And when they came nearer, they saw the smoke coming out from all the smoke holes. It was the heat from inside coming out so. And the father looked in through a window, and saw that they were quarrelling about his child, and the child was crying.

“Who is to look after him?”

So he heard them saying inside the house; each one was eager to have the child. When the father saw this, he was very angry.

And the people inside asked the child: “What would you like to eat?”

“No,” said the child.

“Will you have seal meat?”

“No,” said the child.

And there was nothing he cared to have. Therefore they asked him at last: “Do you want to go home very much?”

Angangujuk answered quickly: “Yes.” And his father was very greatly angered by now. And said to those with him: “Try now to magic them to sleep.”

And now the wizard began calling down a magic sleep upon those in the hut, and one by one they sank to sleep and began to snore. And fewer and fewer remained awake; at last there were only two. But then one of those two began to yawn, and at last rolled over and snored.

And now the great finder of hidden things began calling down sleep with all his might over that one remaining. And at last he too began to move towards the sleeping place. Then he began to yawn a little, and at last he also rolled over.

Now Angangujuk’s father went in quickly, and now he caught up his son. But now the child had no clothes on. And looking for them, he saw them hung up on the drying frame. But the house was so high that they had to poke down the clothes with poles.

At last they came out, and walked and walked and came farther on. And it was now beginning to be light. As soon as they came to the place, they cut the moorings of the umiak, and hastily made all ready, and rowed out to the farthest islands. They had just moved away from land when they saw a number of people opposite the house.

But when the inland folk saw they had already moved out from the land, they went up to the house and beat it down, beating down roof and walls and all that there was of it.

After that time, Angangujuk’s parents never again took up their dwelling on the mainland.

Here ends this story.

Atdlarneq, the great glutton

Atdlarneq, a skilled hunter, was lured to a mysterious house near a cape, where he encountered three women dressed in yellow. They welcomed him, but their “master” soon arrived—Copper-cheeks, a fearsome figure. Forced to eat an immense amount of food under threat of violence, Atdlarneq cleverly survived by swallowing a grass stalk beforehand. Shaken by the experience, he never ventured southward again.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Trickster: Atdlarneq uses cunning to survive the ordeal with Copper-cheeks, demonstrating the classic trickster’s reliance on wit.

Mythical Creatures: Copper-cheeks, with his supernatural attributes and formidable nature, represents a being that transcends ordinary human experience.

Trials and Tribulations: Atdlarneq endures the challenge of consuming an immense amount of food under threat, representing a test of endurance and cleverness.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

This is told of Atdlarneq: that he was a strong man, and if he rowed but a little way out in his kayak, he caught a seal. On no day did he fail to make a catch, and he was never content with only one.

But one day when he should have been out hunting seal, he only paddled along close to the shore, making towards the south. On the way he sighted a cape, and made towards it; and when he could see the sunny side, he spied a little house, quite near.

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He thought: “I must wait until some one comes out.”

And while he lay there, with his paddle touching the shore, a woman came out; she had a yellow band round her hair, and yellow seams to all her clothes.

Now he would have gone on shore, but he thought:

“I had better wait until another one comes out.” And as he thought this, there came another woman out of the house. And like the first, she also had a yellow hair band, and yellow seams to all her clothes.

And he did not go on shore, but thought again: “I can wait for just one more.”

And truly enough, there came yet another one, quite like the others. And like them also, she bore a dish in her hand. And now at last he went on shore and hauled up his kayak.

He went into the house, and they all received him very kindly. And they brought great quantities of food and set before him.

At last the evening came.

And now those three women began to go outside again and again. And at last Atdlarneq asked: “Why do you keep going out like that?”

When he asked them this, all answered at once: “It is because we now expect our dear master home.”

When he heard this, he was afraid, and hid himself behind the skin hangings. And he had hardly crawled in there when that master came home; Atdlarneq looked through a little hole, and saw him.

And his cheeks were made of copper. [There is a fabulous being in Eskimo folklore supposed to have cheeks of copper, with which he can deliver terrible blows by a side movement of the head. Naughty children are frequently threatened with “Copper-cheeks” as a kind of bogey.]

He had but just sat down, when he began to sniff, and said: “Hum! There is a smell of people here.”

And now Atdlarneq crawled out, seeing that the other had already smelt him. He had hardly shown himself, when the other asked very eagerly: “Has he had nothing to eat yet?” — “No, he has not yet eaten.” — “Then bring food at once.”

And then they brought in a sack full of fish, and a big piece of blubber from the half of a black seal. And then the man said violently: “You are to eat this all up, and if you do not eat it all up, I will thrash you with my copper cheeks!”

And now Atdlarneq began eagerly chewing blubber with his fish; he chewed and chewed, and at last he had eaten it all up. Then he went to the water bucket, and lifted it to his mouth and drank, and drank it all to the last drop.

Hardly had he done this when the man said: “And now the frozen meat.”

And they brought in the half of a black seal. And Atdlarneq ate and ate until there was no more left, save a very little piece.

When the man saw there was some not eaten, he cried out violently again: “Give him some more to eat.”

And when Atdlarneq had eaten again for a while, he did not wish to eat more. But then they brought in a whole black seal. And the man set that also before him, and cried: “Eat that up too.”

And so Atdlarneq was forced to stuff himself mightily once more. He ate and ate, and at last he had eaten it all up. And again he emptied the water bucket.

After all that he felt very well indeed, and seemed hardly to have eaten until now. But that was because he had swallowed a little stalk of grass before he began.

So Atdlarneq slept, and next morning he went back home again. But after having thus nearly gorged himself to death, he never went southward again.

The two little outcasts

Two orphaned boys, hunting ptarmigans daily, discover a hidden house in a ravine. Inside, they find a lonely boy whose giant mother later returns, grateful for their companionship. She rewards them with food and arrows. Ignoring her warning, villagers attempt to sell arrows too, but the mysterious house vanishes. The boys never hunt again, leaving the tale shrouded in mystery.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Community and Isolation: The two orphaned boys, initially isolated and fending for themselves, discover and connect with another lonely child, forming a new sense of community.

Supernatural Beings: The giantess mother represents a supernatural entity who interacts with the human children, providing them with sustenance and gifts.

Sacred Spaces: The hidden house in the ravine serves as a sacred or mystical place where the boys find refuge and form a bond with the inhabitants, leading to transformative experiences.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

There were two little boys and they had no father and no mother, and they went out every day hunting ptarmigan, and they had never any weapons save a bow. And when they had been out hunting ptarmigan, the men of that place were always very eager to take their catch.

One day they went out hunting ptarmigan as usual, but there were none. On their way, they came to some wild and difficult cliffs. And they looked down from that place into a ravine, and saw at the bottom a thing that looked like a stone.

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They went down towards it, and when they came nearer, it was a little house. And they went nearer still and came right to it. They climbed up on to the roof, and when they looked down through the air hole in the roof, they saw a little boy on the floor with a cutting-board for a kayak and a stick for a paddle. They called down to him, and he looked up, but then they hid themselves. When they looked down again, he was there as before, playing at being a man in a kayak. A second time they called to him, and then he ran to hide. And they went in then, and found him, sobbing a little, and pressing himself close in against the wall.

And they asked him: “Do you live here all alone?”

And he answered: “No, my mother went out early this morning, and she is out now, as usual.”

They said: “We have come to be here with you because you are all alone.”

And when they said this, he ventured to come out a little from the wall.

In the afternoon, the boy went out again and again and when he did so, they looked round the inside of the house, which was covered with fox skins, blue and white.

At last the boy came in, and said: “Now I can see her, away to the south.”

They looked out and saw her, and she seemed mightily big, having something on her back. And she came quickly nearer.

Then they heard a great noise, and that was the woman throwing down her burden. She came in hot and tired, and sat down, and said: “Thanks, kind little boys. I had to leave him alone in the house, as usual, and now you have stayed with him while I was fearing for him on my way.”

Then she turned to her son, and said: “Have they not eaten yet?”

“No,” said the boy. And when he had said that, she went out, and came in with dried flesh of fox and reindeer, and a big piece of suet. And very glad they were to eat that food. At first they did not eat any of the dried fox meat, but when they tasted it, they found it was wonderfully good to eat.

Now when they had eaten their fill, they sat there feeling glad. And then the little boy whispered something in his mother’s ear.

“He has a great desire for one of your sets of arrows, if you would not refuse to give it.” And they gave him that.

In the evening, when they thought it was time to rest, a bed was made for them under the window, and when this was done the woman said: “Now sleep, and do not fear any evil thing.”

They slept and slept, and when they awoke, the woman had been awake a long time already.

And when they were setting off to go home again, she paid them for their arrows with as much meat as they could carry; and when they went off, she said: “Be sure you do not let any others come selling arrows.”

But in the meantime, the people of the village had begun to fear for those two boys, because they did not come home. When at last they appeared in the evening, many went out to meet them. And it was a great load they had to carry.

“Where have you been?” they asked.

“We have been in a house with one who was not a real man.”

They tasted the food they had brought. And it was wonderfully good to eat.

“That we were given in payment for one set of arrows,” they said.

“We must certainly go out and sell arrows, too,” said the others.

But the two told them: “No, you must not do that. For when we went away, she said: ‘Do not let any others come selling arrows.’”

But although this had been said to them, all fell to at once making arrows. And the next day they set out with the arrows on their backs. The two little boys did not desire to go, but went in despite of that, because the others ordered them.

Now when they came to the ravine, it looked as if that house were no longer there. And when they came down, not a stone of it was to be seen. They could not see so much as the two sheds or anything of them. And no one could now tell where that woman had gone.

And that was the last time they went out hunting ptarmigan.

The eagle and the whale

In a remote village, two sisters are taken by magical creatures—a great eagle and a whale—who become their husbands. Longing to reunite, their brothers craft tools to rescue them. The eagle is slain by a boy’s arrow, while the whale is thwarted by the sisters’ clever distractions during a perilous sea chase. Ultimately, both sisters escape, leaving their fantastical captors behind.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Supernatural Beings: The sisters are taken by magical creatures—a great eagle and a whale—who become their husbands.

Quest: The brothers embark on a journey to rescue their sisters from these supernatural captors.

Cunning and Deception: The sisters use clever tactics to aid in their escape, such as plaiting sinew lines to lower themselves down and distracting the whale during the sea chase.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

In a certain village there lived many brothers. And they had two sisters, both of an age to marry, and often urged them to take husbands, but they would not.

At last one of the men said: “What sort of a husband do you want, then? An eagle, perhaps? Very well, an eagle you shall have.”

This he said to the one. And to the other he said: “And you perhaps would like a whale? Well, a whale you shall have.”

► Continue reading…

And then suddenly a great eagle came in sight, and it swooped down on the young girl and flew off with her to a high ledge of rock. And a whale also came in sight, and carried off the other sister, carrying her likewise to a ledge of rock.

After that the eagle and the girl lived together on a ledge of rock far up a high steep cliff. The eagle flew out over the sea to hunt, and while he was away, his wife would busy herself plaiting sinews for a line wherewith to lower herself down the rock. And while she was busied with that work, the eagle would sometimes appear, with a walrus in one claw and a narwhal in the other.

One day she tried the line, with which she was to lower herself down; it was too short. And so she plaited more.

But as time went on, the brothers began to long for their sister. And they all set to work making crossbows.

And there was in that village a little homeless boy, who was so small that he had not strength to draw a bow, but must get one of the others to draw it for him every time he wanted to shoot. When they had made all things ready, they went out to the place where their sister was, and called to her from the foot of the cliff, telling her to lower herself down. And this she did. As soon as her husband had gone out hunting, she lowered herself down and reached her brothers.

Towards evening, the eagle appeared out at sea, with a walrus in each claw, and as he passed the house of his wife’s brothers, he dropped one down to them. But when he came home, his wife was gone. Then he simply threw his catch away, and flew, gliding on widespread wings, down to where those brothers were. But whenever the eagle tried to fly down to the house, they shot at it with their bows. And as none of them could hit, the little homeless boy cried: “Let me try too!”

And then one of the others had to bend his bow for him. But when he shot off his arrow, it struck. And when then the eagle came fluttering down to earth, the others shot so many arrows at it that it could not quite touch the ground.

Thus they killed their sister’s husband, who was a mighty hunter.

But the other sister and the whale lived together likewise. And the whale was very fond of her, and would hardly let her out of his sight for a moment.

But the girl here likewise began to feel homesick, and she also began plaiting a line of sinew threads, and her brothers, who were likewise beginning to long for their sister, set about making a swift-sailing umiak. And when they had finished it, and got it into the water, they said: “Now let us see how fast it can go.”

And then they got a guillemot which had its nest close by to fly beside them, while they tried to outdistance it by rowing. But when it flew past them, they cried: “This will not do; the whale would overtake us at once. We must take this boat to pieces and build a new one.” And so they took that boat to pieces and built a new one.

Then they put it in the water again and once more let the bird fly a race with them. And now the two kept side by side all the way, but when they neared the land, the bird was left behind.

One day the girl said as usual to the whale: “I must go outside a little.”

“Stay here,” said her husband, that great one.

“But I must go outside,” said the girl.

Now he had a string tied to her, and this he would pull when he wanted her to come in again. And hardly had she got outside when he began pulling at the string.

“I am only just outside the passage,” she cried. And then she tied the string by which she was held, to a stone, and ran away as fast as she could down hill, and the whale hauled at the stone, thinking it was his wife, and pulled it in. The brothers’ house was just below the hillside where she was, and as soon as she came home, they fled away with her. But at the same moment, the whale came out from the passage way of its house, and rolled down into the sea. The umiak dashed off, but it seemed as if it were standing still, so swiftly did the whale overhaul it. And when the whale had nearly reached them, the brothers said to their sister: “Throw out your hairband.”

And hardly had she thrown it out when the sea foamed up, and the whale stopped. Then it went on after them again, and when it came up just behind the boat, the brothers said: “Throw out one of your mittens.”

And she threw it out, and the sea foamed up, and the whale pounced down on it. And then she threw out the inner lining of one of her mittens, and then her outer frock and then her inner coat, and now they were close to land, but the whale was almost upon them. Then the brothers cried: “Throw out your breeches!”

And at the same moment the sea was lashed into foam, but the umiak had reached the land. And the whale tried to follow, but was cast up on the shore as a white and sun-bleached bone of a whale.

Qasiagssaq, the great liar

The story of Qasiagssaq, a notorious liar, recounts his deceitful acts and eventual demise. Despite repeatedly failing as a hunter, he resorts to theft, lies, and manipulation, embarrassing his wife and angering his fellow villagers. His deceit escalates with exaggerated claims and trickery, culminating in his leading the community on a futile whale hunt. Overwhelmed by his falsehoods, they ultimately kill him, ending his troubling legacy.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Trickster: Qasiagssaq embodies the trickster archetype, using deceit and manipulation to achieve his ends, such as stealing a fellow villager’s seal and fabricating stories to cover his failures.

Cunning and Deception: The narrative centers on Qasiagssaq’s continuous lies and schemes, highlighting the consequences of deceit within a community.

Moral Lessons: The story imparts a cautionary message about the perils of dishonesty and the eventual downfall that befalls those who engage in deceitful behavior.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

Qasiagssaq, men say, was a great liar. His wife was called Qigdlugsuk. He could never sleep well at night, and being sleepless, he always woke his fellow-villagers when they were to go out hunting in the morning. But he never brought home anything himself.

One day when he had been out as usual in his kayak, without even sight of a seal, he said: “It is no use my trying to be a hunter, for I never catch anything. I may as well make up some lie or other.”

► Continue reading…

And at the same moment he noticed that one of his fellow-villagers was towing a big black seal over to an island, to land it there before going out for more. When that seal had been brought to land, Qasiagssaq rowed round behind the man, and stole it, and towed it back home.

His wife was looking out for him, going outside every now and then to look if he were in sight. And thus it was that coming out, she caught sight of a kayak coming in with something in tow. She shaded her eyes with both hands, one above the other, and looked through between them, gazing eagerly to try if she could make out who it was. The kayak with its seal in tow came rowing in, and she kept going out to look, and at last, when she came out as usual, she could see that it was really and truly Qasiagssaq, coming home with his catch in tow.

“Here is Qasiagssaq has made a catch,” cried his fellow-villagers. And when he came in, they saw that he had a great black seal in tow, with deep black markings all over the body. And the tow-line was thick with trappings of the finest narwhal tusk.

“Where did you get that tow-line?” they asked.

“I have had it a long time,” he answered, “but have never used it before today.”

After they had hauled the seal to land, his wife cut out the belly part, and when that was done, she shared out so much blubber and meat to the others that there was hardly anything left for themselves. And then she set about cooking a meal, with a shoulder-blade for a lamp, and another for a pot. And every time a kayak came in, they told the newcomer that Qasiagssaq had got a big black seal.

At last there was but one kayak still out, and when that one came in, they told him the same thing: “Qasiagssaq has actually got a big seal.”

But this last man said when they told him: “I got a big black seal today, and hauled it up on an island. But when I went back to fetch it, it was gone.”

The others said again: “The tow-line which Qasiagssaq was using today was furnished with toggles of pure narwhal tusk.”

Later in the evening, Qasiagssaq heard a voice calling in at the window: “You, Qasiagssaq, I have come to ask if you will give back that tow-line.”

Qasiagssaq sprang up and said: “Here it is; you may take it back now.”

But his wife, who was beside him, said: “When Qasiagssaq does such things, one cannot but feel shame for him.”

“Hrrrr!” said Qasiagssaq to his wife, as if to frighten her. And after that he went about as if nothing had happened.

One day when he was out in his kayak as usual, he said: “What is the use of my being out here, I who never catch anything?”

And he rowed in towards land. When he reached the shore, he took off his breeches, and sat down on the ground, laying one knee across a stone. Then he took another stone to serve as a hammer, and with that he hammered both his knee-caps until they were altogether smashed.

And there he lay. He lay there for a long time, but at last he got up and went down to his kayak, and now he could only walk with little and painful steps. And when he came down to his kayak, he hammered and battered at that, until all the woodwork was broken to pieces. And then, getting into it, he piled up a lot of fragments of iceberg upon it, and even placed some inside his clothes, which were of ravens’ skin. And so he rowed home.

But all this while two women had been standing watching him.

His wife was looking out for him as usual, shading her eyes with her hands, and when at last she caught sight of his kayak, and it came nearer, she could see that it was Qasiagssaq, rowing very slowly. And when then he reached the land, she said: “What has happened to you now?”

“An iceberg calved.”

And seeing her husband come home in such a case, his wife said to the others: “An iceberg has calved right on top of Qasiagssaq, so that he barely escaped alive.”

But when the women who had watched him came home, they said: “We saw him today; he rowed in to land, and took off his breeches and hammered at his knee-caps with a stone; then he went down to his kayak and battered it to bits, and when that was done, he filled his kayak with ice, and even put ice inside his clothing.”

But when his wife heard this, she said to him: “When Qasiagssaq does such things, one cannot but feel shame for him.”

“Hrrrr!” said Qasiagssaq, as if to frighten her.

After that he lay still for a long while, waiting for his knees to heal, and when at last his knees were well again, he began once more to go out in his kayak, always without catching anything, as usual. And when he had thus been out one day as usual, without catching anything, he said to himself again: “What is the use of my staying out here?”

And he rowed in to land. There he found a long stone, laid it on his kayak, and rowed out again. And when he came in sight of other kayaks that lay waiting for seal, he stopped still, took out his two small bladder floats made from the belly of a seal, tied the harpoon line to the stone in his kayak, and when that was done, he rowed away as fast as he could, while the kayaks that were waiting looked on. Then he disappeared from sight behind an iceberg, and when he came round on the other side, his bladder float was gone, and he himself was rowing as fast as he could towards land. His wife, who was looking out for him as usual, shading her eyes with her hands, said then: “But what has happened to Qasiagssaq?”

As soon as a voice could reach the land, Qasiagssaq cried: “Now you need not be afraid of breaking the handles of your knives; I have struck a great walrus, and it has gone down under water with my two small bladder floats. One or another of those who are out after seal will be sure to find it.”

He himself remained altogether idle, and having come into his house, did not go out again. And as the kayaks began to come in, others went down to the shore and told them the news: “Qasiagssaq has struck a walrus.”

And this they said to all the kayaks as they came home, but as usual, there was one of them that remained out a long time, and when at last he came back, late in the evening, they told him the same thing: “Qasiagssaq, it is said, has struck a walrus.”

“That I do not believe, for here are his bladder floats; they had been tied to a stone, and the knot had worked loose.”

Then they brought those bladder floats to Qasiagssaq and said: “Here are your bladder floats; they were fastened to a stone, but the knot worked loose.”

“When Qasiagssaq does such things, one cannot but feel shame for him,” said his wife as usual.

“Hrrrr!” said Qasiagssaq, to frighten her.

And after that Qasiagssaq went about as if nothing had happened.

One day he was out in his kayak as usual at a place where there was much ice; here he caught sight of a speckled seal, which had crawled up on to a piece of the ice. He rowed up to it, taking it unawares, and lifted his harpoon ready to throw, but just as he was about to throw, he looked at the point, and then he laid the harpoon down again, saying to himself: “Would it not be a pity, now, for that skin, which is to be used to make breeches for my wife, to be pierced with holes by the point of a harpoon?”

So he lay alongside the piece of ice, and began whistling to that seal [speckled seal may often be caught in this fashion]. And he was just about to grasp hold of it when the seal went down. But he watched it carefully, and when it came up again, he rowed over to it once more. He lifted his harpoon and was just about to throw, when again he caught sight of the point, and said to himself: “Would it not be a pity if that skin, which is to make breeches for my wife, should be pierced with holes by the harpoon?” And again he cried out to try and frighten the seal, and down it went again, and did not come up any more.

Once he heard that there lived an old couple in another village, who had lost their child. So Qasiagssaq went off there on a visit. He came to their place, and went into the house, and there sat the old couple mourning. Then he asked the others of the house in a low voice: “What is the trouble here?”

“They are mourning,” he was told.

“What for?” he asked.

“They have lost a child; their little daughter died the other day.”

“What was her name?”

“Nipisartangivaq,” they said.

Then Qasiagssaq cleared his throat and said in a loud voice: “Today my little daughter Nipisartangivaq is doubtless crying at her mother’s side as usual.”

Hardly had he said this when the mourners looked up eagerly, and cried: “Ah, how grateful we are to you! [The souls of the dead are supposed to be born again in the body of one named after them.] Now your little daughter can have all her things.”

And they gave him beads, and the little girl’s mother said: “I have nothing to give you by way of thanks, but you shall have my cooking pot.”

And when he was setting out again for home, they gave him great quantities of food to take home to his little girl. But when he came back to his own place, his fellow-villagers asked: “Wherever did you get all this?”

“An umiak started out on a journey, and the people in it were hurried and forgetful. Here are some things which they left behind.”

Towards evening a number of kayaks came in sight; it was people coming on a visit, and they had all brought meat with them. When they came in, they said: “Tell Qasiagssaq and his wife to come down and fetch up this meat for their little girl.”

“Qasiagssaq and his wife have no children; we know Qasiagssaq well, and his wife is childless.”

When the strangers heard this, they would not even land at the place, but simply said: “Then tell them to give us back the beads and the cooking pot.”

And those things were brought, and given back to them.

Then Qasiagssaq’s wife said as usual: “Now you have lied again. When you do such things, one cannot but feel shame for you.”

“Hrrrr!” said Qasiagssaq, to frighten her, and went on as if nothing had happened.

Now it is said that Qasiagssaq’s wife Qigdlugsuk had a mother who lived in another village, and had a son whose name was Ernilik. One day Qasiagssaq set out to visit them. He came to their place, and when he entered into the house, it was quite dark, because they had no blubber for their lamp, and the little child was crying, because it had nothing to eat. Qasiagssaq cleared his throat loudly and said: “What is the matter with him?”

“He is hungry, as usual,” said the mother.

Then said Qasiagssaq: “How foolish I was not to take so much as a little blubber with me. Over in our village, seals are daily thrown away. You must come back with me to our place.”

Next morning they set off together. When they reached the place, Qasiagssaq hurried up with the harpoon line in his hand, before his wife’s mother had landed. And all she saw was that there was much carrion of ravens on Qasiagssaq’s rubbish heap. Suddenly Qasiagssaq cried out: “Ah! One of them has got away again!”

He had caught a raven in his snare. His wife cooked it, and their lamp was a shoulder-blade, and another shoulder-blade was their cooking pot, and when that meat was cooked, Qigdlugsuk’s mother was given raven’s meat to eat. Afterwards she was well fed by the other villagers there, and next morning when she was setting out to go home, they all gave her meat to take with her; all save Qasiagssaq, who gave her nothing.

And time went on, and once he was out as usual in his kayak, and when he came home in the evening, he said: “I have found a dead whale; tomorrow we must all go out in the umiak and cut it up.”

Next day many umiaks and kayaks set out to the eastward, and when they had rowed a long way in, they asked: “Where is it?”

“Over there, beyond that little ness,” he said.

And they rowed over there, and when they reached the place, there was nothing to be seen. So they asked again: “Where is it?”

“Over there, beyond that little ness.”

And they rowed over there, but when they reached the place, there was nothing to be seen. And again they asked: “Where is it? Where is it?”

“Up there, beyond the little ness.”

And again they reached the place and rowed round it, and there was nothing to be seen.

Then the others said: “Qasiagssaq is lying as usual. Let us kill him.”

But he answered: “Wait a little; let us first make sure that it is a lie, and if you do not see it, you may kill me.”

And again they asked: “Where is it?”

“Yes… where was it now… over there beyond that little ness.”

And now they had almost reached the base of that great fjord, and again they rounded a little ness farther in, and there was nothing to be seen. Therefore they said: “He is only trouble to us all: let us kill him.”

And at last they did as they had said, and killed him.

Kagssagssuk, the homeless boy who became a strong man

Kagssagssuk, a mistreated orphan, warns children of a “Great Fire,” which consumes them when they ignore him. Though shunned, Kagssagssuk gains supernatural strength through encounters with a giant. He later triumphs over bears, avenges his suffering by punishing tormentors, and spares those kind to him. Despite his rise to power, his growing cruelty leads to his downfall, as villagers ultimately kill him to end his tyranny.

Source:
Eskimo Folk-Tales
collected by Knud Rasmussen
[Copenhagen, Christiania], 1921

► Themes of the story

Transformation: Kagssagssuk evolves from a mistreated orphan into a figure of immense strength, highlighting a profound physical and social metamorphosis.

Revenge and Justice: After enduring cruelty, Kagssagssuk seeks retribution against his tormentors, reflecting the pursuit of justice and the consequences of vengeance.

Supernatural Beings: His encounters with a giant, which grant him extraordinary strength, introduce elements of the supernatural influencing human affairs.

► From the same Region or People

North America
- Arctic Region
  - Inuit/Eskimo Lore

Learn more about Inuit peoples

One day, it is said, when the men and women in the place had gone to a spirit calling, the children were left behind, all in one big house, where they played, making a great noise. A homeless boy named Kagssagssuk was walking about alone outside, and he called to those who were playing inside the house, and said: “You must not make so much noise, or the Great Fire will come.”

The children, who would not believe him, went on with their noisy play, and at last the Great Fire appeared.

► Continue reading…

Little Kagssagssuk fled into the house, and cried: “Lift me up. I must have my gloves, and they are up there!”

So they lifted him up to the drying frame under the roof.

And then they heard the Great Fire come hurrying into the house from without. He had a great live ribbon seal for a whip, and that whip had long claws. And then he began dragging the children out through the passage with his great whip, and each time he drew one out, that one was frizzled up. And at last there were no more. But before going away, the Great Fire reached up and touched with his finger a skin which was hanging on the drying frame.

As soon as the Great Fire had gone away, little Kagssagssuk crawled down from the drying frame and went over to the people who were gathered in the wizard’s house, and told them what had happened. But none believed what he said.

“You have killed them yourself,” they declared.

“Very well, then,” he said, “if you think so, try to make a noise yourselves, like the children did.”

And now they began cooking blubber above the entrance to the house, and when the oil was boiling and bubbling as hard as it could, they began making a mighty noise. And true enough, up came the Great Fire outside.

But little Kagssagssuk was not allowed to come into the house, and therefore he hid himself in the store shed. The Great Fire came into the house, and brought with it the live ribbon seal for a whip. They heard it coming in through the passage, and then they poured boiling oil over it, and his whip being thus destroyed, the Great Fire went away.

But from that time onward, all the people of the village were unkind to little Kagssagssuk, and that although he had told the truth. Up to that time he had lived in the house of Umerdlugtoq, who was a great man, but now he was forced to stay outside always, and they would not let him come in. If he ventured to step in, though it were for no more than to dry his boots, Umerdlugtoq, that great man, would lift him up by the nostrils, and cast him over the high threshold again.

And little Kagssagssuk had two grandmothers; the one of these beat him as often as she could, even if he only lay out in the passage. But his other grandmother took pity on him, because he was the son of her daughter, who had been a woman like herself, and therefore she dried his clothes for him.

When, once in a while, that unfortunate boy did come in, Umerdlugtoq’s folk would give him some tough walrus hide to eat, wishing only to give him something which they knew was too tough for him. And when they did so, he would take a little piece of stone and put it between his teeth, to help him, and when he had finished, put it back in his breeches, where he always kept it. When he was hungry, he would sometimes eat of the dogs’ leavings on the ground outside, finding there walrus hide which even the dogs refused to eat.

He slept among the dogs, and warmed himself up on the roof, in the warm air from the smoke hole. But whenever Umerdlugtoq saw him warming himself there, he would haul him down by the nostrils.

Thus a long time passed, and it had been dark in the winter, and was beginning to grow light near the coming of spring. And now little Kagssagssuk began to go wandering about the country. Once when he was out, he met a big man, a giant, who was cutting up his catch, and on seeing him, Kagssagssuk cried out in a loud voice: “Ho, you man there, give me a piece of that meat!”

But although he shouted as loudly as he could, that giant could not hear him. At last a little sound reached the big man’s ears, and then he said: “Bring me luck, bring me luck!”

And he threw down a little piece of meat on the ground, believing it was one of the dead who thus asked.

But little Kagssagssuk, who, young as he was, had already some helping spirits, made that little piece of meat to be a big piece, just as the dead can do, and ate as much as he could, and when he could eat no more, there was still so much left that he could hardly drag it away to hide it.

Some time after this, little Kagssagssuk said to his mother’s mother: “I have by chance become possessed of much meat, and my thoughts will not leave it. I will therefore go out and look to it.”

So he went off to the place where he had hidden it, and lo! it was not there. And he fell to weeping, and while he stood there weeping, the giant came up.

“What are you weeping for?”

“I cannot find the meat which I had hidden in a store-place here.”

“Ho,” said the giant, “I took that meat. I thought it had belonged to another one.”

And then he said again: “Now let us play together.” For he felt kindly towards that boy, and had pity on him.

And they two went off together. When they came to a big stone, the giant said: “Now let us push this stone.” And they began pushing at the big stone until they twirled it round. At first, when little Kagssagssuk tried, he simply fell backwards.

“Now once more. Make haste, make haste, once more. And there again, there is a bigger one.”

And at last little Kagssagssuk ceased to fall over backwards, and was able instead to move the stones and twirl them round. And each time he tried with a larger stone than before, and when he had succeeded with that, a larger one still. And so he kept on. And at last he could make even the biggest stones twirl round in the air, and the stone said “leu-leu-leu-leu” in the air.

Then said the giant at last, seeing that they were equal in strength: “Now you have become a strong man. But since it was by my fault that you lost that piece of meat, I will by magic means cause bears to come down to your village. Three bears there will be, and they will come right down to the village.”

Then little Kagssagssuk went home, and having returned home, went up to warm himself as usual at the smoke hole. Then came the master of that house, as usual, and hauled him down by the nostrils. And afterwards, when he went to lie down among the dogs, his wicked grandmother beat him and them together, as was her custom. Altogether as if there were no strong man in the village at all.

But in the night, when all were asleep, he went down to one of the umiaks, which was frozen fast, and hauled it free.

Next morning when the men awoke, there was a great to-do.

“Hau! That umiak has been hauled out of the ice!”

“Hau! There must be a strong man among us!”

“Who can it be that is so strong?”

“Here is the mighty one, without a doubt,” said Umerdlugtoq, pointing to little Kagssagssuk. But this he said only in mockery.

And a little time after this, the people about the village began to call out that three bears were in sight — exactly as the giant had said. Kagssagssuk was inside, drying his boots. And while all the others were shouting eagerly about the place, he said humbly: “If only I could borrow a pair of indoor boots from some one.”

And at last, as he could get no others, he was obliged to take his grandmother’s boots and put them on.

Then he went out, and ran off over the hard-trodden snow outside the houses, treading with such force that it seemed as if the footmarks were made in soft snow. And thus he went off to meet the bears.

“Hau! Look at Kagssagssuk. Did you ever see….”

“What is come to Kagssagssuk; what can it be?”

Umerdlugtoq was greatly excited, and so astonished that his eyes would not leave the boy. But little Kagssagssuk grasped the biggest of the bears — a mother with two half-grown cubs — grasped that bear with his naked fists, and wrung its neck, so that it fell down dead. Then he took those cubs by the back of the neck and hammered their skulls together until they too were dead.

Then little Kagssagssuk went back homeward with the biggest bear over his shoulders, and one cub under each arm, as if they had been no more than hares. Thus he brought them up to the house, and skinned them; then he set about building a fireplace large enough to put a man in. For he was now going to cook bears’ meat for his grandmother, on a big flat stone.

Umerdlugtoq, that great man, now made haste to get away, taking his wives with him.

And Kagssagssuk took that old grandmother who was wont to beat him, and cast her on the fire, and she burned all up till only her stomach was left. His other grandmother was about to run away, but he held her back, and said: “I shall now be kind to you, for you always used to dry my boots.”

Now when Kagssagssuk had made a meal of the bears’ meat, he set off in chase of those who had fled away. Umerdlugtoq had halted upon the top of a high hill, just on the edge of a precipice, and had pitched their tent close to the edge.

Up came Kagssagssuk behind him, caught him by the nostrils and held him out over the edge, and shook him so violently that his nostrils burst. And there stood Umerdlugtoq holding his nose. But Kagssagssuk said to him: “Do not fear; I am not going to kill you. For you never used to kill me.”

And then little Kagssagssuk went into the tent, and called out to him: “Hi, come and look! I am in here with your wives!” For in the old days, Umerdlugtoq had dared him even to look at them.

And having thus taken due vengeance, Kagssagssuk went back to his village, and took vengeance there on all those who had ever ill-treated him. And some time after, he went away to the southward, and lived with the people there.

It is also told that he got himself a kayak there, and went out hunting with the other men. But being so strong, he soon became filled with the desire to be feared, and began catching hold of children and crushing them. And therefore his fellow-villagers harpooned him one day when he was out in his kayak.

All this we have heard tell of Kagssagssuk.